The First Five Minutes Protocol - part four.
Winning Your Day Before It's Begun.
Do you consider yourself well educated?
Most of us like to think of ourselves as educated because it points to advancement and achievement in some form.
When you think about who it is among the more recent eras that fulfills the description you might think of the professor at your college, or even a grandparent who just seemed to have all the good answers. Einstein, or Obama, Hawkings or the boy next door with his head always in book.
In part three we considered the fact of Marcus Aurelius writing to himself rather then for an audience.
This point matters more then it first appears.
That’s because he was one of the most literate and educated men of his age.
Imagine that for a moment.
Was he just born some kind of miracle set to lead? Or did he commit himself to disciplinary learning?
How much of the man was like you or I before he begun and became Emperor?
At his peak he could have written philosophy for publication and been surrounded by people who would have read and celebrated it.
But he chose not to.
That fact is remarkable because it highlights what kind of writer Aurelius was.
He was both the writer and the reader.
He loved, comforted and guided himself the best way he knew how for lack of knowledge of anything greater-perhaps intentional ignorance so as not to thwart the power of state he felt he boar alone?
But it also perhaps proves that though he wrote about preparedness for daily life through simple practices-the hypothetical analysis of what might occur given certain known circumstances of proud arrogant people, it might be supposed that he disliked these persons greatly because they well reflected what he himself contended with in his own person.
We can glean productive practices and apply them into our daily modern lives, but if anything should be managed and tamed it has to be the weight of unsolicited pride when dealing with others.
This is not the healthy pride in self that is necessary, but the arrogance of self that paces like a rotten smell as though born entitled to only the very best and at whatever cost.
This kind of pride breaks down society and stampedes on the rights of fellow humans.
The reason that Aurelius chose to remain quiet about his writing is philosophically significant.
Writing to an audience inevitably introduces performance.
True and honest writing takes place when the writer is not under this kind of pressure.
Only then do the words flow like honey and does the mind find a solitude remarkably comforting.
Even writers today who write for engagement soon realize that the whole affair asks much more from them then first anticipated.
This is the difference between writers who want to fulfill the dream of what they think writing and being a writer is opposed to those who are specifically trained writers such as freelancers, journalists and professional content creators.
This is the difference between why some writers give up so soon, because the path that looks smooth and flat turns out to be a steep climb uphill and involves losing your footing at times along the way.
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If you are just starting out as a writer, then don’t be discouraged by that truth.
It should help clarify what you need to do to get to where you want to be.
If you are impatient and lack discipline, then these will also be matters that courses for writers will involve and as you attend such courses you will most certainly see if it is something you want to stick with long-term.
It’s a good place to start.
But even better?
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Writing to and for yourself.
Writing to yourself strips away the pressure of reception.
Like running naked outside in your garden on a warm starry night as though perfectly normal or spontaneously stripping off to swim in a hidden lagoon inside a cave.
It’s invigorating.
And that’s how your writing should feel.
Invigorating.
If it feels forced or robotic then it is not even scratching the surface of who you might actually be as a writer and to discover what that looks like, you need to write viciously uninhabited, for yourself.
This is also why some writers who after years of writing for self, decide on adopting a pseudonym because it allows them to still feel less restrained.
What remains when you write for just you is an honest self-examination without the distortion of ego or reputation.
It’s a brilliant dance of flavors that end up in the cone all at once.
The writings of Aurelius, never intended for outside eyes and known as ‘Meditations’ is extraordinary because of that fact - it was never meant to be read.
This alone makes the reading compelling.
There is no posturing in it, no argument constructed for persuasion.
It is a man holding himself to account in the most private way possible and finding, morning after morning that he fell short of his own standard and then would commit to trying again the next day.
This alone shows us that the ancients could have a rigid way of thinking and a state of mind that was unpreventably inflexible from early learned belief systems.
The discipline of such minds applied to productive practices like the first five minutes window however is what was required and it is what is highlighted here for those who accept the challenge, but it leaves open to question the fact that such inflexible minds might have unknowingly barred themselves off from any higher and greater truths specific to the better health and well-being of the human spirit that were ever made available.
Think Saul of Tarsus for instance, an incredibly learned man in all the law yet he came to deeper reflection and a complete change of person for the better, coming instead to be known as Paul, an apostle of the prophet Jesus Christ.
This lesson is valuable for any of us desiring to practice methods for improved self and daily living.
Like Aurelius, the ability to quietly self-reflect and honestly take an overview of attitudes or actions that are not doing us any justice can be changed if we apply ourselves intentionally and then willingly accept correction as we notice our path veering off to the side.
Also, to be able to make corrections like Aurelius we need to be aware of what’s going wrong in our lives and with the right roadmap as way of instruction, this is absolutely possible.
For Aurelius he had the philosophies that he reasoned out and chewed on to form improved solutions.
His ‘meditations’ are what help many make changes still, and that’s why we’re here considering it.
Whether Marcus Aurelius felt his personal writings were in some way forming a spiritual connection for him as well remains unknown.
Unlike Saul of Tarsus who later became Paul, who really knows what other pathways the man also considered, but what we do know is he had the inner drive to improve, be better, do better, understand better, and it’s that kind of curiosity and willingness to grow and move forward that all great leaders have in common but what makes any of them truly great is the desire to do, be and understand better the human condition around them as well.
Now the example I have used here of a man in history named Saul was not intended for the making of comparisons between him and Marcus Aurelius because clearly their roles in society differed widely but why I chose Saul is because he was also a well-known figure among the Romans and no doubt was familiar with Roman philosophy and the philosophers who penned it, embracing all that Rome offered in the way of politics and religion.
In this way we might draw similarities between two men who lived centuries ago and well understood the ways and traditions of Roman law.
Now we have come to your own morning writing activity.
We are not looking to start a curated journal entry noting reflections designed to be shared.
We are going to work on a private, honest conversation with the person you are trying to become.
Nobody else needs to read it and that is exactly the point.
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Cont. reading part five.